


Remedy

by CherrieXir



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-21
Updated: 2018-02-22
Packaged: 2018-07-16 09:40:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7262776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CherrieXir/pseuds/CherrieXir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This happens before Captain America: Civil War and will eventually be upgraded to Explicit.</p><p>Basically, both of them are trying to pick up their memories and to decide what to do with those memories.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have no Beta. I sincerely apologize for bugs and errors.
> 
> Edit: I just read it through on the train and good lord there are bugs. I don't think I fixed them all and I guess I DO need a beta. If you are so kind and is willing to help a friend, please let me know. I'd really, really appreciate it.

 

 

Ironically, Natasha wasn’t quite sure how she had remembered those things— _days_ —that she didn’t even know were taken away from her. The memories came in snippets, they were confusing and even disturbing at first. She'd been long used to dreams about the Red Room, but this time it came with a voice, a grunt, a deep growl that had Natasha snap awake just to find herself soaked with sweat. She didn’t know whether that was fear or anger or both or something else, but she didn’t remember having those emotions in the Red Room. There was something she couldn’t make sense of, something missing, and she didn’t know what it was. She shoved the sheets to one side and walked into the kitchen, poured herself some water after eyeing her alcohol collection. She would need a clear mind.

\--

 

 

James Buchanan Barnes. 

Bucky looked at the new New York ID card in his hand, feeling more than lost. They had used a picture from seventy years ago when he just joined the army. He looked like a fucking teenager. But Steve likes it, and half-jokingly said that he should get a hair cut. “You got all the ladies,” Captain American said. “You and your slick look.”

He seemed to be amused by the idea of Bucky being his old self, but Bucky kept his silence. His hair was greasy a lot of the times, but that was because Hydra wasn’t the best at keeping their agents presentable. Now that he had an apartment he could at least wash it with clean water every other day. He was well informed by Stark that it wasn’t the most appealing hairstyle under the current aesthetics of the citizens of the world, but Bucky didn’t care. 

“Well, who knows,” seeing Bucky’s silent resistance, Tony shrugged. “The world is weird now, ice cube, someone will like it.” 

They were going to put him in an apartment in the same building as Steve’s, in the heart of Brooklyn. But Bucky shook his head and pointed his metal hand toward Bronx. 

“I know it’s a lot different from our days, but Bucky…” 

“Too many people in Brooklyn.” He grunted, and suddenly realized the hurt in Steve’s voice. “I mean, sorry, I need some space.” 

“I understand.” Steve pulled out a smile, “It’s gonna be fine, just like the old days.” 

But Bucky wasn’t quite sure if he could or wanted to be back to the old days. 

\--

 

 

The dreams kept coming. She saw the ceiling of the Red Room. She remembered the bullet marks next to the top left window. She was lying in the middle of the room, her back ached with every move of her vertebrae, other girls staring blankly at her defeat. She was clearly angry this time. Furious even. She wanted to get up and snap the neck of the person on the other side of the room. But she couldn’t move, it seemed to take all her energy just to move a finger. The man came closer, his broad shadow blocking the light. 

“Too weak, Natalia.” 

She woke and was still feeling the anger in her chest. It felt too real to be just a dream, and Natasha shivers as she remembered how the Man called her long-lost name. 

There were other snippets, too. Missions that somehow were also missing from her memory. A party in the Kremlin where she took down a Spanish diplomat, a dark corpse in the middle of a snow storm, a small cabin where she cleaned her blood-stained blades but it strangely felt like the best place she could ever be. Someone had his fingers in her hair, toying with the curls. 

“Natalia.” It sounded like a sigh. 

At some point Natasha drifted back asleep, but woke after only a short while. It was five in the morning, she decided to go running. 

Stark being Stark, he was still generous enough to give Natasha an apartment in upper east, which, for one thing, made running a lot more enjoyable. Aside from the occasional early risers, she could have the whole east riverside to herself at five in the morning. She adjusted her pace every half mile, feeling her muscles tensing and relaxing as she jogged. Apparently it was good for her pulled muscle from the mission couple weeks back according to Friday.

She let her mind drift as the sky started to light up, but soon pulled her attention back as she found a parallel pace not far behind her. _It might just be another early runner_. As she reached another half mile she picked up her pace, only to hear the steps behind her hurrying up as well.

_Five fucking thirty in the morning, good lord._  

 

 

Natasha quickly went through a list in her mind—The European mafia she spied on, the new west coast drug lords from which she stole some _minor_  info, Russian left wing power, Hydra, counterspies in S.H.I.E.L.D.. She had been running, but thanks to Friday's suggestion she was not exhausted yet. Judging from the sound there was only one person. She pretended to flip her hair and made the estimation that the man was about 20 feet away. She didn’t have her gun, but she knew where the nearest NYPD station was. She couldn’t think of anyone that hate her so much and had to kill her right there and then no matter what.

As another half mile coming up, she pretended to lose her balance. The footstep paused and Natasha smirked. Her follower then kept running for her. She could see his feet. She suddenly jumped up and threw a clean sweep with her good leg. The man seemed to be caught in surprise, only trying to block it with his arms. But he didn’t fly away or fall down, his arm didn’t feel _human_ —

“What the— Barnes?"

“I guess I deserve this considering I shot you twice?"

Natasha eyed the ex-Hydra killer down—to a certain degree he was on her “list”—he seemed to have cleaned himself up a little, his hair tied up behind. “You have strangely early morning routines, huh?"

Bucky tilted his heading, thinking about something. “Common habits of Russian agents, I guess?"

Natasha raised an eyebrow. “Stark taught you some arguing techniques, I see."

Bucky—good God this is Winter fucking Soldier?—curved his lips upwards. “I’ve been recalling things from before, maybe that’s why. Steve said I was good with girls."

“Did he say that I wasn’t in the ‘Girls’ category?"

“Well,” Bucky didn’t answer, “I did shoot you twice, I’m sorry about that. You wouldn't mind me running with you because of that, would you?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some precious peace and quiet where they can bond a little.

 

Bronx was no heaven, but Bucky thought himself a man who'd been through hell. At least his block was quiet enough. A latino woman and her son lived next door. The boy was around 10. He saw Bucky as he moved in with cautious, slightly startled eyes, and quickly resigned to their apartment and locked the door.

_At least there won’t be neighbor problems._  Bucky thought to himself.

His landlord was of East European descent. His accent gave Bucky some unhappy flashbacks, but Bucky was able to deal with it as he paid the rent. Most of his flashbacks involved missions that were washed away, filled with blood and yelling and pain. Sometimes he saw Steve when he was tiny—when they were both tiny and oblivious to what was to come. Those were the “good times,” according to Captain America, who slept his way into the 21st century and had not changed a single bit. 

Comparing to his flashbacks, Bucky hardly ever had dreams. In fact, he couldn’t even remember having dreams. He was trained to rest fully and efficiently, so that he didn’t need nearly as much sleep as normal adult men, and when woke he could get to his _job_ immediately. Dr. Banner had suggested that he should adjust his sleeping schedule, but he honestly did not see the point of going to bed at 10 and getting up at 8. Perhaps that was the best for most male adults, but he liked his 12-4 resting schedule and he’d been sleeping for so, so long already.

And then  _that_ happened. It was barely what one would call a dream. He was floating, and when he opened his eyes he was in a locked room. Something was pointing at him. He couldn’t tell if it was a gun or a knife. A voice said— _cr_ _ied, begged_ —, “James.“ There was something after that, but all James could hear was the gun shot. It sounded too real. Bucky snapped open his eyes and sat up, quickly checking his surroundings.

Another gun shot, but distant. He peeked out of his curtains, and saw some gangs running and hiding around the block, and finally let out a sigh. It was almost four, which meaned that he almost had enough rest and that his morning run should go a little early today. 

\--

He walked out of his apartment at four fifteen, planning to run the Hudson bank today. He had done some calculation. He could run to Lincoln tunnel, and take the early trains home. Then he would finish the last episodes of _Star Trek: The Next Generation._ Clint decided that they should watch _Star Trek: Beyond_  together one day, and they did, and later agreed that the young blondie was not able to say “Engage” as forcefully as Sir Patrick Stewart.

The air of Manhattan was clear of the smell of weed, cocaine, and gunfire. Bucky almost reach 100th street when he saw another early riser. He noticed the fiery hair first. And suddenly the sky darkened and Bucky was standing in the knee-high snow. There was blood on the snow. In front of him was a girl, snow falling on her flaring red hair. He saw himself reaching out with his human arm, and the girl turned around. Her jade-green eyes staring straight at him. 

Bucky stopped immediately, hiding behind a tree and still breathing hard.

No. She’s Natasha Romanov. S.H.I.E.L.D.S. He remembers that. He shot her twice. And she almost strangled him to death.

Natasha didn’t seem to notice him— _she should be more alert_ —and continued jogging north along the river. Bucky steadied his breath, and decided that Captain Picard could wait a bit.

Natasha was wearing sports shorts and a black tank top. Her body was of perfect hourglass shape, and Bucky had to admit that his eyes were on her for more than they probably should. He missed the lovely over-knee dresses that girls used to wear back in the days, but he couldn't deny that the underwear models now were, too, pleasing to the eye.

He watched as Natasha’s pony tail swinging side to side, and thought that to be honest, 21st century wasn’t all that bad.

Then suddenly Natasha sped up. Bucky noticed that the movements of her left leg wasn’t that fluid. It seemed to be a muscle problem. He, as well, sped up behind her. And then he saw Natasha fell. _Fuck, he should’ve reminded her._  Bucky stopped for a second and immediately followed up to check. And then that that lean thigh that had almost killed him swung toward him again. _Jesus, he’s been running for an hour_. He only managed to raise his left arm to block it, and felt the ringing of the metal against his body. Natasha jumped up to face him, her green eyes staring straight at him. 

\--

Bucky eventually apologized for his “stalking." 

Even though Natasha had allowed him to run with her, she didn’t seem all that thrilled about it. The skin underneath her eyes was darker than the last time he had seen her. 

“Well…” After fifteen minutes of speechless running, Bucky started, “do you want to see _Star Trek_?"

The sky was completely light now. Natasha slowed down and finally came to walking speed. She cocked an eyebrow, looking at him with a do-you-know-what-you-are-saying kind of expression, which made Bucky realized that maybe that’s not the best thing to invite girls to. “Clint didn’t tell you that I prefer _Star Wars_ , did he?"

Aside from a handful of TV series, Natasha only watched movies. At least when— _if_ , emphasized Clint—she died a sudden death in a mission, she wouldn’t be thinking about that new episode that she hadn’t watched. 

They split at six thirty in the morning and decided they should watch _Lord of the Rings_  together.

“When?"

“Is 4 in the afternoon good?” Natasha took out her phone, “We can use Stark’s home theater. I should be done with work by then.” 

Bucky wanted to ask her what work it was, but couldn’t find a reason to.

“We are picking up things from before.” Natasha lowered her voice. “Couple weeks before there were still paparazzi outside of Stark’s building and people who tried to take advantage of the situation that we needed to take care of. We just did a little… cleanup at the HR department and now we are slowly getting back on track, including going with the Hydra investigation.” She raised her eyes, not sure how Bucky would react. “We might need your… help in the future. But that’s as much as I can tell you.”

Bucky was a little shocked by the trust that Natasha was willing to give him. Then he smiled, “Thank you, beautiful lady.”

That was the second time when Bucky left Natasha speechless. She’d heard all kind of flattering words, still, they gave her chills coming from the Winder Soldier. “Get home and get a shower, Soldier.” 

Bucky was still smiling, watching her as she headed toward the opposite train. “See you this afternoon.” 

Bucky walked into Stark's elevator at ten to four in the afternoon. He said hi to Friday, who greeted him promptly as he walked out to the living room. 

"Congratulations," Stark saw him on the balcony. "You've managed to be more familiar with AI than most people born in this century are."

Bucky decided to ignore his comment, as many had advised him to, and walked straight to the theater. 

"Hey, Buck. The theater is booked for our lovely Agent Romanov. I don't want to call your Popsicle friend to collect your body." 

"Sir," said Friday softly, "Ms. Romanov said that Mr. Barnes would be with her. And she is here. Good afternoon, Ms. Romanov."

The elevator door opened again, and Natasha walked out, her heels knocking the floor. "Afternoon, Friday." 

Tony stared at them as if he was going to have a stroke. He turned around. "If you need to stay for the night, Friday can lead you to the rooms. You know, those seats are hard to clean." With a click of the door, Tony disappeared in his lab. 

"The usual, Friday. Pop corn and water. Thank you. " Natasha was wearing a white button up shirt and a black skirt. Bucky could smell her perfume as she walked pass. 

"Um, can I have Coke, please, Friday."

"Sure, Mr. Barnes."

\--

They finished _Fellowship of the Ring_  at 7. Bucky stretched out his stiff legs, still surprised the Boromir died like that. "But what about Gondor?"

"You'll know in the next six hours." Natasha threw a popcorn into her mouth and said. 

"But... He can't just _die_."

"But," Natasha smiled. "He's Sean Bean."

Bucky kept his eyes on her confused. It was aparently something that was typically 21st century and Natasha seemed to want to let him figure out himself. At least she looked a lot more amused than the morning. 

"You should watch _Game of Thrones."_ She gave him an almost wicked smile. “You’ll love it."

_What a fair lady she is._

Bucky was a little startled by the thought. The worse thing was that he felt everything darkened and started to see an grey shadow on Natasha’s face. Usually he wouldn’t resist his flashbacks, considering how precious every piece of memory was to him. But he suddenly didn’t want his memory get in the way of the moment. So he shook his head and tried to regain focus on the rolling credit.

“Are you okay?” Natasha frowned.

Bucky pointed at his head, which was now starting to hurt a bit. “Find, you know…"

“Yeah,” Natasha nodded, “maybe we should take a break. Friday, is there anything to eat in the building?"

“Ms. Romanov. Sir Tony just ordered tacos."

“Care for some Mexican food?"

Bucky was glad to realize that there was no shadow anymore. He stood up with Natasha and headed toward the kitchen.

 

“Oh, look who it is."

Natasha straight up ignored Tony, and nodded to the other person in the room. “Dr. Banner."

Banner pulled a smile, “Nat… Ms. Romanov."

“Hey Bruce, you need to do some yoga and calm down?"

Natasha put some meat into her taco shell and raised an eyebrow at the billionaire. “What was the name of that Hollywood girl you brought back? The blond one? Kayla? Hey Friday can you call Pepper now?"

“Wait a second Friday!” Tony’s voice was unnecessarily loud. “Some music please. Nat you want some wine?"

Natasha replied with a small triumphant smile. Bucky sat down next to him after greeting to the doctor, and got himself a taco shell as the piano played, and then a silky female voice started.

**_I don’t know why but I’m feeling so sad._ **

**_I long to try something I never had._ **

**_Never had no kissing._ **

**_Oh what I’ve been missing._ **

Bucky’s hands froze. His head started throbbing again.

_No. Wrong._

“Barnes? Barnes?” Natasha was the first one to notice his discomfort. She turned to him and put a hand on him. “Are you okay?"

“No no no, wrong, _nepravil’no.”_ His headache became agonizing. There was an obscure image in his head, but he could neither see it clearly nor wave it away.

“What’s wrong? Breathe, Barnes. Talk to me."

The music was still going. **_Someday we’ll meet. And you’ll dry all my tears._**  Pain seem to come from everywhere, and he felt hard to breathe. “The song, it is…” _killing him._

Friday stopped the music at the very second and brought some painkillers at Banner’s orders. 

\--

Dinner ended in a haste. Banner suggested the Bucky stay for the night, and everyone else seemed to agree. Bucky didn’t resist, so the three men watched as Natasha headed out of the building. 

“I’m sorry we didn’t finish them, the movies.” Bucky said, genuinely hating the fact that they had to end the night early because of him.

“Oh, that.” Natasha stopped to look at him, sending him a comforting smile. “We’ll have time."


	3. Chapter 3

The whole room was moving. Bucky could hear the warm sound of wood burning coming out of the fireplace.  
It took him a while for him to notice that it was him, instead of the room, that was moving. In his arms was a warm body with red hair. The girl leaned against him, her head on his shoulder. They slowly moved along with the music coming from the record player on the counter. The singer’s voice was hoarse yet gentle, and next to Bucky’s ears there was another voice humming along. Soft and warm, every note fell on his skin like a sigh.  
I’ve heard it said  
That the thrill of romance  
Can be like a heavenly dream.  
He could feel his body and soul relaxing, his heart soft like the touch on his back. And there was something just about to come out of his mouth—  
“Na—”  
Bucky opened his eyes and sat up. Everything in his room seemed to be moving. The room was too dark, only a few glimpses of light coming through the curtains. He lay back down and breathed in deeply,  
“—talia.”  
“Good morning, Mr. Barnes, you seem to have had a good dream.” For a second he was shocked by the voice. After careful inspection of his surroundings, Bucky was finally reminded of where he was. “Good morning, Friday. What time is it now?”  
“It is now ten sixteen a.m. Sunny but a bit windy. Sir left something for you before he headed out.”  
Bucky jumped off of his bed and grabbed a shirt on the night stand. “Is this it?”  
“Mr. Rogers brought these clothes.” Friday answered, and promptly opened the door to the bathroom for him. “Mr. Stark said whoever you are ready, you can open the box on the counter.”  
Bucky noticed a flat, square box on the granite counter. “I don’t know if I’m ready.”  
“If you want me to say, this building is perhaps one of the safest places around.”  
Bucky picked up the box, and opened it with his human hand.  
He knew what it was. He had known, and now knew, and would perhaps never forget again. Side A was slow and sorrowful; side B was soft and comforting. A gentle voice used to hum them to him.  
After a long silence, Friday asked, “Mr. Barnes, are  
you alright?”  
Bucky put the record down. “I’d say I’m fine. Thank you, Friday. Can I have some coffee?”  
“Of course. What would you like for breakfast.”  
“I’ll pass on the breakfast. I’ll head out in the bit.”

“Of course. Would you like to contact Dr. Banner or Mr. Rogers?” “No. No, please don’t.” Bucky shook his head, “Today... Although there is nothing to tell really, but can you not tell anyone about this morning?”  
“Sure, Mr. Barnes.”  
He looked at the record one more time before he walked in the bathroom.  
Someday we’ll meet  
And you’ll dry all my tears  
Natasha was on her way to S.H.I.E.L.D office when Hill called her. Friday had just texted, telling her that Barnes has left the Stark building.  
“They know where Barnes is. You have to hide him. Or no, get him away from here.” Hill somehow sounded even more serious than usual. “Hurry.”  
Natasha hung up, and made a fast U turn in front of a honking truck, and called Stark building. “Friday, where is Barnes?” “Ms. Romanov, Mr. Barnes left six minutes ago. He said he could go back to his apartment alone.”  
“Track his number and send his location to me. Now.”  
“Sending.”  
Manhattan was not necessarily suitable for driving in a hurry. Natasha’s tires made some nasty screeching noice as she maneuvered through traffic. She was making quite some notices, and if they couldn’t find Barnes before they could now follow her and find him. But she could not slow down. She watched as the red dot on her screen disappear.  
Fuck.  
“Friday, watch the cameras of Central Station subway. Search for danger and locate Barnes.”  
Friday replied after several seconds, “It seems like Mr. Barnes has entered the train. No obvious danger detected.”  
Fuck you, Barnes. What happen to running outside now?  
Natasha hit the gas pedal and rushed through a turning yellow light. “As soon as you can locate his cell, call him.”  
Soon after he left Stark building, Bucky knew someone was following him. He did not turn around, even though that sounded like a better idea at the moment. He sensed at least four people, and decided to test his luck of getting away in the subway. He was not sure if Hydra was willing to follow him to Bronx and unnerve the most powerful drug lords in New York and even the entire East Coast. But he was not left with many choices. Anyway, he might not be able to fight off Captain America in a 1v1, but he’s still Winter Soldier. 3ey

As soon as he stepped on the subway he started moving through the crowded carts. He did not think that they were going to kill him. It would be one of the worse scenarios for Hydra.  
But he also did not want to go back, especially as he had just remembered something he would not like to forget.  
Bucky exited the subway with his head low. It seemed that he was able to get rid of a couple of people as he moved in the subway, and the rest were not going to start a fight just yet.  
His phone range the second he stepped out of the station. He saw Friday on the screen and quickly picked it up.  
“Stay quiet.”  
His steps stopped for a second, but then quickly resumed.  
“There is a small team around your apartment. You gotta turn left on the second block.”  
“I gotta go back.”  
“I told you to stay quiet. Do as I say. Navy Chevy,  
Connecticut plate.”  
“Nat...”  
“Barnes,” She sounded very calm yet extremely angry at the same time. “I’ll have someone take your stuff out of there, but not now. Two blocks. Left. Do it.”  
Bucky put his phone back to his pocked, hastened his pace, and eventually started running. The footsteps behind him quickly followed. A glass window suddenly shattered from a bullet beside him.  
No one cares about some gun shots here.  
Damn it.  
He sped past the first block, but a dull pain on his shoulder made him stumble a bit. He ran past a food truck, throwing the menu board behind him. His metal fingers scratched against the board, and his head started ringing from the screeching sound. Fuck this. Navy Chevy. Connecticut plate.  
Bucky made the turn. The car was about fifty yards away from him, and he could see the fiery hair on the driver’s seat. Bucky threw a punch at the guy jumping at him, grabbed his gun and started shouting behind.  
The car only slowed down a bit when it came to him. The door was kicked open. “Get in.” Natasha yelled.  
Bucky jumped in the car after firing the last bullets. He closed the door with his metal hand.  
Natasha did not say a single word as she sped the car up and headed down the avenue.  
Bucky was suddenly very, very tired. He knew he was bleeding. He was still panting lightly from the chase.  
“Nat...”  
And then his world was dark again.


	4. Chapter 4

The whole room was moving. Bucky could hear the warm sound of wood burning coming out of the fireplace.  
It took him a while for him to notice that it was him, instead of the room, that was moving. In his arms was a warm body with red hair. The girl leaned against him, her head on his shoulder. They slowly moved along with the music coming from the record player on the counter. The singer’s voice was hoarse yet gentle, and next to Bucky’s ears there was another voice humming along. Soft and warm, every note fell on his skin like a sigh.  
I’ve heard it said  
That the thrill of romance  
Can be like a heavenly dream.  
He could feel his body and soul relaxing, his heart soft like the touch on his back. And there was something just about to come out of his mouth—  
“Na—”  
Bucky opened his eyes and sat up. Everything in his room seemed to be moving. The room was too dark, only a few glimpses of light coming through the curtains. He lay back down and breathed in deeply,  
“—talia.”  
“Good morning, Mr. Barnes, you seem to have had a good dream.” For a second he was shocked by the voice. After careful inspection of his surroundings, Bucky was finally reminded of where he was. “Good morning, Friday. What time is it now?”  
“It is now ten sixteen a.m. Sunny but a bit windy. Sir left something for you before he headed out.”  
Bucky jumped off of his bed and grabbed a shirt on the night stand. “Is this it?”  
“Mr. Rogers brought these clothes.” Friday answered, and promptly opened the door to the bathroom for him. “Mr. Stark said whoever you are ready, you can open the box on the counter.”  
Bucky noticed a flat, square box on the granite counter. “I don’t know if I’m ready.”  
“If you want me to say, this building is perhaps one of the safest places around.”  
Bucky picked up the box, and opened it with his human hand.  
He knew what it was. He had known, and now knew, and would perhaps never forget again. Side A was slow and sorrowful; side B was soft and comforting. A gentle voice used to hum them to him.  
After a long silence, Friday asked, “Mr. Barnes, are  
you alright?”  
Bucky put the record down. “I’d say I’m fine. Thank you, Friday. Can I have some coffee?”  
“Of course. What would you like for breakfast.”  
“I’ll pass on the breakfast. I’ll head out in the bit.”

“Of course. Would you like to contact Dr. Banner or Mr. Rogers?” “No. No, please don’t.” Bucky shook his head, “Today... Although there is nothing to tell really, but can you not tell anyone about this morning?”  
“Sure, Mr. Barnes.”  
He looked at the record one more time before he walked in the bathroom.  
Someday we’ll meet  
And you’ll dry all my tears  
Natasha was on her way to S.H.I.E.L.D office when Hill called her. Friday had just texted, telling her that Barnes has left the Stark building.  
“They know where Barnes is. You have to hide him. Or no, get him away from here.” Hill somehow sounded even more serious than usual. “Hurry.”  
Natasha hung up, and made a fast U turn in front of a honking truck, and called Stark building. “Friday, where is Barnes?” “Ms. Romanov, Mr. Barnes left six minutes ago. He said he could go back to his apartment alone.”  
“Track his number and send his location to me. Now.”  
“Sending.”  
Manhattan was not necessarily suitable for driving in a hurry. Natasha’s tires made some nasty screeching noice as she maneuvered through traffic. She was making quite some notices, and if they couldn’t find Barnes before they could now follow her and find him. But she could not slow down. She watched as the red dot on her screen disappear.  
Fuck.  
“Friday, watch the cameras of Central Station subway. Search for danger and locate Barnes.”  
Friday replied after several seconds, “It seems like Mr. Barnes has entered the train. No obvious danger detected.”  
Fuck you, Barnes. What happen to running outside now?  
Natasha hit the gas pedal and rushed through a turning yellow light. “As soon as you can locate his cell, call him.”  
Soon after he left Stark building, Bucky knew someone was following him. He did not turn around, even though that sounded like a better idea at the moment. He sensed at least four people, and decided to test his luck of getting away in the subway. He was not sure if Hydra was willing to follow him to Bronx and unnerve the most powerful drug lords in New York and even the entire East Coast. But he was not left with many choices. Anyway, he might not be able to fight off Captain America in a 1v1, but he’s still Winter Soldier. 3ey

As soon as he stepped on the subway he started moving through the crowded carts. He did not think that they were going to kill him. It would be one of the worse scenarios for Hydra.  
But he also did not want to go back, especially as he had just remembered something he would not like to forget.  
Bucky exited the subway with his head low. It seemed that he was able to get rid of a couple of people as he moved in the subway, and the rest were not going to start a fight just yet.  
His phone range the second he stepped out of the station. He saw Friday on the screen and quickly picked it up.  
“Stay quiet.”  
His steps stopped for a second, but then quickly resumed.  
“There is a small team around your apartment. You gotta turn left on the second block.”  
“I gotta go back.”  
“I told you to stay quiet. Do as I say. Navy Chevy,  
Connecticut plate.”  
“Nat...”  
“Barnes,” She sounded very calm yet extremely angry at the same time. “I’ll have someone take your stuff out of there, but not now. Two blocks. Left. Do it.”  
Bucky put his phone back to his pocked, hastened his pace, and eventually started running. The footsteps behind him quickly followed. A glass window suddenly shattered from a bullet beside him.  
No one cares about some gun shots here.  
Damn it.  
He sped past the first block, but a dull pain on his shoulder made him stumble a bit. He ran past a food truck, throwing the menu board behind him. His metal fingers scratched against the board, and his head started ringing from the screeching sound. Fuck this. Navy Chevy. Connecticut plate.  
Bucky made the turn. The car was about fifty yards away from him, and he could see the fiery hair on the driver’s seat. Bucky threw a punch at the guy jumping at him, grabbed his gun and started shouting behind.  
The car only slowed down a bit when it came to him. The door was kicked open. “Get in.” Natasha yelled.  
Bucky jumped in the car after firing the last bullets. He closed the door with his metal hand.  
Natasha did not say a single word as she sped the car up and headed down the avenue.  
Bucky was suddenly very, very tired. He knew he was bleeding. He was still panting lightly from the chase.  
“Nat...”  
And then his world was dark again.


End file.
